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B.B. Connell

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My name is B.B. Connell, and I come from the island of Barbados, in the Caribbean. I first came into contact with a guitar at around age 14. After messing around with it for a while, I learned to play a tune or two, and of course aspired to be a musician. One year later, feeling somewhat bold I played on a radio show on Radio Barbados, with some friends. We had no name, so they just called it the "Bertram Connell Combo". The first real band was the "Serenaders". We gained some popularity around St. Lucy and beyond, playing at the North Point Hotel, at poolside on Sundays, and countless dances at River Banks. It was there that I had an encounter with real music, in the form of a band called the "Teenage College Thrillers". That band has remained in my mind ever since. Musical arrangements and discipline!

The "Thrillers" really thrilled me! After the breakup of the Serenaders, came the "Electrons". We had a good time playing around Barbados, but then came the breakup. Next band was the "Outfit". This band became a feature in Barbados.

Then in 1975, we went to Canada, playing in motels all around Quebec. After two and a half years, Outfit returned to Barbados, played for a little while, but finally broke up. I then did stints with Lord Radio's "Sophisticated Sounds" for a while, and then came "Chocolate Affair". After some time, I received a call from Germany. One of the guys who had played with "Outfit" was in Germany with "Caribbean Rhapsody", and since their guitarist was returning to Barbados for good, I was asked to replace him. I hesitated a bit, because I had no real connection to Germany. But then I said, why not, it could be a good experience. So, I set out for good old Deutschland, and here I am. What was to be a short stay has lasted now for many years. I had a great time with Rhapsody, playing all over Germany. We recorded some singles, and an album called "Sunsplash Cocktail". This was released around 1988. We also had the pleasure of opening for bands like the Wailers, Ziggy Marley and the Melodymakers, UB40, Kaoma (the Lambada people), also for Billy Preston, and backing up Eek-a-Mouse on his tour of Germany and Holland, and also Lee "Scratch" Perry on his tour.

Rhapsody also toured the old DDR (East Germany) twice. That was an experience. After "Rhapsody", I was just freelancing, making music with friends, and so the band "It Works" came into existence. That lasted for a while, and we recorded two beautiful tunes of which I am very proud, "No chains on me", and "Let the love begin", with yours truly as songwriter and singer. The great guitar licks flowed from the fingers of the one and only Andi Kerl, the Sound God. In 2001 I joined Vitamin X, one of the oldest reggae bands operating in Germany. I knew the guys from way back, as Rhapsody and Vitamin X had done a joint tour throughout Germany. Vitamin X, in addition to doing their own thing, playing clubs and Festivals all over Germany, was chosen to back up Anthony Johnson, and the internationally known Dawn Penn of "No no no" fame, a worldwide hit.

Then in 2005, we backed up Eek-a Mouse on his European tour, which took us from Denmark to Italy. On the Vitamin X "Crying out" CD, I am featured on the song "Reach out and touch". I am still an active member of Vitamin X, but I also do other things, like with Duo Spezial, Riddim Connection, Riddim Posse, Keybalada. Yeah, I love to keep grooving! Lately, I had the pleasure of working with Thomas of Samo Music, so keep your eyes and ears open. Something is in the air! I love writing songs and creating music. Living music, I call it, because the music is the life, and the life is the music.

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